Mt. Pulaski tallies program's 1,500th win

By Bill WeltThe Courier

Wednesday

Dec 23, 2015 at 7:55 PMDec 23, 2015 at 7:55 PM

After a grueling 68-65 double overtime loss to Decatur Lutheran on Monday, the Mount Pulaski boys basketball team bounced back with a 61-52 victory over Heyworth Tuesday night in the second game of the Decatur St. Teresa Christmas Tournament.

It was Mount Pulaski’s 1,500th win in its near-100 year history, according to the IHSA website. However, a few records are missing prior to 1920.

The Toppers are 5-7 this season.

“I’m just a small part of that,” Mount Pulaski coach Ryan Deibert said of the program’s history. “But I have a lot of respect for the program. We’re trying to build this thing from the ground up.”

Sophomore center Peyton Taylor delivered another strong offensive night with 18 points, after leading the Toppers in the previous game with 16 points.

“I think he’s working harder, he’s running the floor a little bit more and we’re looking for him more,” Deibert said. “We still have a long ways to go with that, but he’s improving.”

“We’ve been pretty beat up for the last couple of weeks,” Deibert said. “In that Lutheran game, that was the first game getting people back.”

Deibert believes his team is only a few more plays away from breaking through. He said Monday’s loss slipped away at the free throw line in overtime.

“The difference for us between having a winning record or not is hitting some shots late in the game,” Deibert said. “Our ability to hit clutch, pressure shots right now is affecting our record. That’s one thing we got to get over: performing and executing under pressure.”